The USSF makes a decision

I've always loved the show "Let's Make a Deal", mostly because of the contestant's reactions to the Zonk prizes. For those not aware of how the game works, the host will usually offer a contestant a choice between prizes. One is usually visible, and then there's an offer of something in a box or behind a curtain. Sometimes, the other prize is spectacular, like a car or a trip; sometimes, it's a goat or 50 pounds of potatoes, which counts as a "Zonk".

Like a lot of real life situations, there's usually a choice between one side or the other, and we can spend many hours trying to figure out what option is the best at that moment. In the monumental dispute between the United Soccer Leagues (USL), an established soccer league, and the newly forming North American Soccer League, the United States Soccer Federation was pulled in to decide which second division league to sanction for the upcoming 2010 season. This issue affects many soccer clubs in North America, including the Portland Timbers, as they are trying to determine which league to play in for the 2010 season before they move up to MLS for 2011.

The two sides were brought forth before the USSF a few weeks ago to present their cases for sanctioning. The USSF was not completely satisfied with either league, and asked each side to provide more clarifying information to determine the best choice in this dispute. Once this was completed, the USSF was supposed to make a decision between the USL or the NASL before the end of the year. This was a real life decision between the prize in hand and the prize under the box on stage: choose what the tangible thing you can see, or choose the unknown, which could be a possibly more tempting option or a junked out shadow of reality.

The USSF made its choice today - neither. In a move that I didn't expect to happen, the USSF said it can't choose either the USL or NASL in their current forms, so they aren't sanctioning either league. The leagues now have seven days to work out an interim solution for 2010 that works for the USSF. While one of the stated reasons for not sanctioning was a FIFA mandated requirement that leagues must have eight teams, I imagine there are many more reasons why this decision came down.

The USL has been accused by their former sides of having a almost totalitarian approach to league manners, focusing strictly on expansion and league fees yet giving clubs virtually no say in how the league runs. Despite some overtures in a league meeting in Beaverton back in November to bring in firms to help the USL run things, it appears the USSF isn't satisfied with their long-term strategy for their first division. While the NASL has more sides affiliated with their planning, there hasn't been much mentioned about marketing, television, scheduling, and many of the other things leagues must put together to show stability, and trying to pull together a complete league in a relative short time frame (the newest version of NASL was born sometime in October) didn't provide enough confidence to the USSF. So they didn't chose the prize in hand or the box, instead going back to their seat with nothing.

I can't say I'm entirely surprised by this decision, although my instincts were telling me that the USSF was going to side with the USL simply because of tradition and longetivity, plus their structure of supporting lower division teams and leagues. What this move states is that neither league is at the point that the USSF feels comfortable in letting them move forward, so right now, it's back to the drawing board. I would expect more press releases from the USL and NASL, in addition to individual clubs as they try to move the pieces along to set up a 2010 campaign, and as information becomes available, we'll post it here.

I still remain confident that there will be a 2010 season for the Timbers, and now that the USSF has made their move, it's up to the USL and NASL to work out an arrangement that benefits the greater good - soccer fans in the United States. The time for posturing and bantering is done, and it's time for these two leagues to take a step back and find a way to compromise so that clubs can get to planning for 2010 and fans can start turning their attention to schedules, potential player signings, and dreams of playoff runs. My New Year's wish is that we hear of a resolution to all of this, and I have a good feeling soccer fans will get their wish for 2010!!